I’ll admit it, I’m a fan of granola. Nowadays, if I buy it, it’s the vastly overpriced but pretty good Bear Naked Granola. They have a lower fat one, and a higher protein one. But, as of lately, I wanted to try my own shot at granola. Between reading Smitten Kitchen’s granola recipe, and then Sassy Radish’s take on it, I decided to attempt to create a higher protein, lower carb yummy granola.

My final creation has a bit more fat and calories, and equivalent protein and carbs, as the Bear Naked Power Protein Granola, but hell, it’s homemade, so I figure it’s not a bad shot for the first time around!

Mix all dry ingredients together. Add agave nectar and oil and mix together. Spread out on a pan sprayed with vegetable oil and bake at 350-375 for 20-35 minutes. I recommend mixing every five minutes, and watch it – some ovens only take 20 minutes, others take 35 minutes. Once cooled, store in an air-tight bag or container in the freezer.

My recipe made about 23.75 oz of granola, and the nutritional stats for one ounce are:

The granola is a bit flax-heavy, but it’s yummy. The protein powder is totally undetectable except for the cinnamony flavor it gave it. I feel like next time around, I could easily up it to 2-2.5 scoops. Also, because the pepitas were salted, the granola itself isn’t overly sweet. Next time around, I may add a bit more agave nectar. Although it adds on the carbs, it’s a lower glycemic index sweetener, so I figure there are worse choices out there.

Also, does anyone have suggestions for replacing the walnuts with a higher protein, lower fat nut? I like the flavor of walnuts and pecans, but I’d rather have better nutritional stats than a few walnuts.